Drying apparatus



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. P. McOLATGHEY 8: C. L. KRUM.

DRYING APPARATUSL Patented Dec. 28, 1897.

N NT H5,

- NUT/5,515,271,

( No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A. P. MOCLATCHEY 82; C. L.- KRUM. DRYING APPARATUS.

No. 596,175. I Patented Dec; 28,1897.

Hill.

my mm" (No Mo delg) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. A. P.1VI0CLATCHE'Y & C. L. KRUM.

DRYING APPARATUS.

Patent ed Dec. 28, 1897.

[NVINTU775 I TNifE I Q 71 W- UNITE j STATES I PATENT rrrcn.

AUGUSTUS F. MCOLATOI-IEY, OF AURORA, AND CHARLES L. KRUM, OF

' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 596,17 5, dated December 28, 1897.

Application filed. September 21,1896. Serial No. 606,520. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, AUGUSTUS F. MC- OLATOHEY, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane, and CHARLES L. KRUM, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, citizens of the United States, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Drying Wet or Moist Materials, of which the following is a specification.

Prominent objects of our invention are to provide an apparatus capable of receiving in a wet or moist condition the consistent material to be dried; of automatically drying the same and of discharging it in a dry condition; to dry the material thoroughly and uniformly, and to such end to cause the absorp tion of the moisture by passing heated atmospheric air in contact with the material; to utilize the greatest possible percentage of the heat generated for the drying process; to maintain a uniform temperature in all parts of the apparatus, and to procure such results in a simple, economical, and efficient manner.

In the apparatus for carrying out our invention more particularly described herein after a series of drying-chambers for the material are supported in a suitable structure for the apparatus, and means are provided for heating such drying-chambers. These drying-chambers are suitably arranged and constructed, so that the material to be dried may be fed into the initial one of the series, moved along through the entire series, and finally discharged. The drying-chambers are also constructed to allow the passage of heated air through them in such a manner as to come into contact with the'material therein, and means are provided for heating atmospheric air for this purpose and for inducing the circulation of the same through the dryingchambers. By such arrangement the material is heated by the heat applied to the drying-chambers, and the moisture is extracted from the same and absorbed by the heated air passing through such chambers. As a matter of further improvement the flow of heated air through the drying-chambers is induced in a direction opposite to the movement of the material therein, whereby the drier air comes into contact with the drier material, and vice versa.

In case a furnace or like combustion-chamber is employed as a heating means the vapors of combustion are caused to circulate about the drying-chambers to more economically and effectively heat the same, and are also made serviceable for heating the air which is conducted through the drying-chambers.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of an appara tus embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. i is a rear elevation, and Fig. 5 a front elevation, of the apparatus on a scale corresponding to that used inFig. 1.

We have shown in the figures two series of drying-chambers A, each series being composed of three chambers, although it will, be understood that the number of series and the number of drying-chambers composing each series may be varied to meet the exigencies of various cases.

The drying-chambers consist of the hollow metal cylinders A, which latter are desirably surrounded bythe outer metal cylinders or jackets B, secured to the cylinders by the steam-tight heads 0., Fig.3, whereby the material in the drying-chambers A is uniformly heated through the medium of the water and steam contained in the jackets B.

The cylinders A, with their jackets B, are

supported in vertical series in the structure X, which may be constructed of brickwork or other suitable material, and at the lower or base portion of this structure is situated a furnace or combustion-chamber O.

The drying-chambers are supported to permit the impingement of the vapors of combustion arising from the furnace 0 upon the exterior walls of the jackets B, and to such end the latter are provided with the lugs b, which fit upon suitable shoulders in, the structure X, Fig. 2, thereby allowing the exterior surfaces of the lower walls of the jackets B to be exposed. The tops of the jackets B are desirably protected by the walls or arches D,

evaporation occurs.

which form, with the lower sides of the jackets B, the spaces D between the successive drying-chambers. The opposite ends of adjacent spaces D are connected by the passages d. Hence in each series the vapors of combustion rising from the furnace 0 pass below the lower drying-chamber to its rear end, thence upward to the middle chamber and along the lower surface of the same to its forward end, upward to the top chamber and along the lower surface of the same to its rear end, and finally forward under the partition 7; and out through the outlet Y, which is situated at the forward end of the structure X, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The direction of motion of the vapors of combustion through the apparatus is indicated by the single-headed arrows.

The jackets B are filled partially with water and partially with steam, Fig. 2. As a means of maintaining a uniform water-level in all the jackets B we have shown the pipes f connected with the latter, so as to communicate with the interior of the same at points situated an equal distance above the bottom of each, and to maintain a uniform steampressure in the same the pipes 0 are connected therewith, so as to communicate with the steam-spaces thereof. The drying-chambers are therefore heated evenly and the temperature within the same is kept uniform. In this connection it may be observed that the interiors of the jackets B and the pipes f and 0 form a closed steam and water chamber. Hence it is only necessary, to insure the proper working of the apparatus, to once properly fill the jackets with water, for no This may be done by pouring water into the jacket of each upper cylinder through any suitable openingas, for instance, through the one provided for the attachment of the pipe 0. (See Fig. 5.) When the level of the water in this jacket reaches the point where the pipe f is connected, (see Fig. 4,) it will flow through this pipe into the jacket of the cylinder below, and when the water-level in this latter jacket reaches the point of attachment of the pipe f, leading to the lowermost jacket, it will flow through this pipe into such jacket. When a suitable quantity of water has been poured into the lowermost jacket, the upper ends of the upper pipes 0 are connected with the uppermost jackets and the apparatus is ready for operation.

Each series of drying-chambers is to be ar ranged for the passage of the material to be dried through it, and to such end the upper cylinders A are provided with feed-hoppers S and the lower ones with spouts U, while the intervening connections between the cylindersare formed by the pipes T. The direction of motion of the material through the drying-chambers is indicated by the doubleheaded arrows.

As a means for causing the movement of H the material along the cylinders A we have shown the latter provided with rotary con-* veyers comprising shafts E, upon which are mounted the pulleys E and the paddles e. The latter are inclined at an angle to the direction of rotation of the shaft, (see Fig. 3,) so that their revolution by the shaft E causes the advance of the material and also serves to agitate the same.

During the movement of the material through the drying-cylinders A hot air is forced or drawn through the latter, preferably in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the material therein, so that the driest air will come into contact with the driest material. To such end the air-chambers I are situated in the upper portion of the structure X and have their lower walls formed by the metal partitions '5. These airchambers I receive their supply of air to be heated from the exterior atmosphere, and to such end the fines I-I, terminating in the ports h and the air-chambers I, are constructed in the structure X between its sides and the drying-chambers A.

As a convenient arrangement by which air may be conducted from the chambers I to the interior of the drying-chambers when two series of such drying-chambers are employed, as herein shown, an interior duct K, situated between the two series of drying-chambers, is employed and connected with the interior of the latter and with the air-chambers I. By such arrangement the air, as indicated by the triple-headed arrows, enters the ports 72, passes upward through the flues II into the air-chambers I, thence into the interior duct K, and finally into the drying-chambers. Obviously the heating of the air begins as soon as it enters the ports h and continues until it reaches the drying-chambers.

As a means for conducting the heated air from the supply-duct K to the interiors of the drying-cylinders A we have shown the conduits L, leading from the duct K to the exterior of the structure X, and the pipes M, connecting the conduits L and the interiors of the cylinders A. For convenience two of the conduits L are shown extending to the rear of the apparatus and connected with the upper and lower pairs of cylinders, Fig. 4, and a third extending to the front and connected with the middle pair of cylinders, Fig. 5. The air after passing through the cylinders A is led from them by the pipes N to a main outlet-pipe N. One such pipe N is shown at the rear of the apparatus, Fig. 4, and two at the front, Fig. 5.

Inasmuch as the material in the lower pair of cylinders A is quite dry, more or less dust is carried off by the hot air passing through them. Hence we desirably interpose a suitable dust-separator P between the lowest pipe N and the main outlet-pipe N.

As a means of causing a circulation of the air through the cylinders A we have indicated a fan W, connected to the end of the pipe N and having an exhaust-pipe N The hot air in passing through the drying- IIO chambers absorbs the moisture which is evaporated by the heat applied to the material.

Our apparatus is obviously capable of considerable modification in the number, ar-

rangement, and construction of the dryingchambers and the various commuicating passages and connections. The embodiment of its principles, however, permits moist or wet material to be quickly dried in a simple, convenient, and efficient manner with very little labor and practically no waste.

We are aware that it has been proposed to dry wet or moist material by passing the vapors of combustion through drying-chambers; but in our invention heated atmospheric air is by suitable means passed through the drying-chambers. By so doing we avoid the injurious efiects on the material of the gases contained in the fumes of combustion.

What we claim is 1. In a drying apparatus, the combination with a combustion-furnace, of a series of material-containing drying-chambers connected with one another in circulating series, and situated above the furnace; an air-chamber connected with the interiors of the dryingchambers; conducting-passages for circulating the fumes of combustion from the furnace first about the drying chambers and then about the air-chamber; and means for induc ing a circulation of air from the air-chamber into and through the drying-chambers, as set forth.

2. In a drying apparatus, the furnace C, a series of connected drying-cylinders supported above the furnace; the Walls D arranged above the drying-cylinders and the passages d connecting the opposite ends of each heating-chamber formed by a wall D and the bottom of the drying-cylinder next above, with the succeeding chambers of the series, substantially as described.

3. In a drying apparatus constructed with a couple of substantially vertical series of drying-chambers, the air-chambers I situated above each series of drying-chambers, the duct K arranged between the same, and the flues H situated on the outer sides of said series and communicating with the air-chambers I and with the exterior atmosphere, as set forth.

4. In a drying apparatus ,constructed with a series of drying-chambers, the combination of a series of closed jackets for said chambers, and suitable steam and water pipes connecting the interiors of the jackets with one another, whereby a uniform steam-pressure and a proper water-level are maintained, and also whereby evaporation is prevented, as set forth.

AUGUSTUS F. MCOLATGHEY. CHARLES L. KRUM.

Witnesses:

Y AJMILLER BELFIELD,

A. F. DURAND. 

